Westward
by pam1
Summary: The group journeys to New Pacifica. Includes my take on Devon's illness and recovery
1. Resuming the journey

Westward Bound

**_Westward Bound (part 1) _**Setup: Takes place immediately after All About Eve. Devon is still in a cryo chamber. The rest of the members of Eden Advance, under Danziger's lead, are heading to New Pacifica. Builds on top of "Start of something good" but can be read independently. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Voice of Ulysses Adair "Yesterday we left the ship, we left my mom. I can't believe that we've left her. Mr. Danziger told me my mom asked him to look after me. I don't want him to; I don't want anyone but my mother. Mr. Danziger told me that we would find a cure for mom. That we would be back for her. He spoke so confidentially that I know he believes it. I just don't want to be without her"

The Eden Advance crew slowly headed west to New Pacifica. The usual banter was gone. Each member quietly contemplated the previous day. Each wrestled with the decision, the group's decision, to leave Devon behind. In their minds they knew it was the correct decision, there was nothing that they can do for Devon. She was safe. They needed to get to New Pacifica; they needed to set up the colony. They needed to be there for the other families. It is what Devon would want, what Devon would do if it had been one of them. They knew all this, but they were all still unhappy. The decision was particularly hard on Uly, Yale, Julia and John.

Uly quietly sat on the back of the transrover. True, who was sitting beside him, asked, "Is there anything I can get for you, do for you?"

"Yeah, leave me alone" True let it slide. She was only trying to help. She couldn't imagine what Uly was feeling; she didn't even want to try. She knew what it was like to grow up with only one parent. She knew how scary it was when something happened to that parent. What she didn't know was what it was like if they didn't get better. Her mind drifted back to yesterday morning when the group had voted about moving on. Her dad had stood in the center of the group and put forth the facts.

"Listen everyone. It has been a week since we put Devon in cold sleep. Julia is no closer to finding out what is wrong with Devon today then she was when we put her in there. If she doesn't know is wrong, she can't cure her. We still have a long way to go to New Pacifica. We still have a colony to prepare. New Pacifica isn't getting any closer and the longer we stay; the more unlikely it is that the colony will be ready in time for the other families. Those families were counting on Devon setting things up. She can't right now. We can't help Devon but we can move on. We can start the colony. We can give those families a better start then we had. We can fulfill Devon's promise." As he spoke, Danziger tried to make eye contact with his fellow travelers. It was a trick he learned from Devon.

When no one spoke, Danziger continued. "Look Julia has samples. We can download all of Elizabeth's information. Julia can continue to do research. If she finds something, a possible cure, she can come back and try it out. The rest of us will continue on to New Pacifica. Julia, Devon and a driver will catch up."

"Why don't I just stay here while the rest of you go onto New Pacifica", Julia offered.

"No, you're our only doctor. We need you in case anyone else gets sick or hurt." After a brief pause, Danziger added, "OK, are we ready to vote?" 

Glancing around he noticed a few heads bob up and down. "Anyone in favor of continuing on the New Pacifica?" Several hands slowly went up.

"Ok, all in favor of staying here?" Three hands quickly shot up, Uly, Yale and Julia.

True recalled she was confused. She didn't want to leave Devon behind but she wanted to leave the place that had brought so much unhappiness. She decided that she would follow her father's lead. Her dad never raised his hand. He hadn't voted so she hadn't voted. Even without their votes the majority had elected to continue their journey.

"OK, let's break camp." With that everyone dispersed and started to pack up. All were deep in thought and the camp was quiet. Those that had voted to move on felt guilty. It had been a difficult decision, probably the most difficult decision of their lives. They cared for Devon; they were scared that without her leadership that they wouldn't make it to New Pacifica and even if they did, they wouldn't know how to set up the colony. Some just wanted to do something productive as opposed to sitting around camp feeling helpless. All felt setting up the colony was the only thing they could do for Devon now. They weren't going to let Devon down. New Pacifica would be ready when the families arrived. All knew that there would be times that they would regret their decision.

True thoughts returned to present and she glanced at Uly. "Uly", she tentatively said. "If I could do anything to make your mom better, I would."

Uly glanced at True, he said nothing.

"Honest Uly. Dad and I will look after you until your mom is better. Julia will find a cure. Don't worry, your mom will be fine."

Finally Uly spoke, his voice filled with the despair and sorrow he felt. "Thanks True. I feel so helpless; I don't know what to do. I don't know how to make my mom better. I have to help her."

"We'll think of something. Maybe Yale could dig up some records from old Earth illnesses and we could go through them. Ya know, find out what is making your mom sick. Then Julia could make her better." 

"That's a great idea! Let's ask him now." Uly suddenly didn't feel so hopeless. He could do something. He could help cure his mother.

The children jumped off the transrover and rushed to Yale. When told of their plan, he enthusiastically agreed. He didn't mention that he and Julia had gone over those records a thousand times since Devon had fallen ill. This would give Uly some hope. Bring him out of the shell he had erected around himself since Devon had become sick. Yale himself was experiencing a grief like he never had before. He loved Devon and Uly like his own, they were his family, the only family he had ever known. He had watched Devon grow up. He had always been able to help her, or at least ease some of her pain. Now he was grief stricken that he couldn't help. When Devon needed him most, he was helpless. Further causing him pain was the fact that he couldn't console Uly. He knew that however bad he was feeling, Uly was feeling worse. Yale had lost countless nights sleep since Devon had fallen ill. He had exhausted every possible avenue. He could do nothing to help yet he couldn't bear to leave Devon. 

He glanced over and saw Julia riding in the ATV. She was exhausted. Like Yale, Julia hadn't slept. She drove herself hard to find a cure. She was genetically engineered to be a doctor. Why couldn't she find a cure? She and Devon had started off at odds and things had only gotten worse when her involvement with the council was discovered. In time, Devon had come to trust Julia and the two became friends. For both women, friendship had always come hard but once they had begun a tentative friendship, it had quickly blossomed. Next to Alonzo, Devon was the closest person to Julia. How could she not save her friend? She vowed that she would do whatever necessary to cure Devon. She was angry with Danziger for asking to press on to New Pacifica. Deep down she knew it was the right decision, but she didn't care. She would stay up nights to run and re-run the experiments. No stone would remain unturned in her quest to cure her friend. Just then Uly contacted Julia over gear.

"Julia, True and I want to help you research old records to help you find out what is making mom sick." 

Even over gear, Julia noticed the look of hope in the young boy's eyes, in his voice. She smiled for the first time in an eternity. "Thanks Uly. That will help a lot. I'll tell you what, when we stop for a break, we can go over an approach."

"Great Julia! Don't worry we will find a cure", Uly signed off and began to walk with a purpose. He knew that a cure would be found. He hoped that he would help find it quicker. He had been very lonely since his mother had become ill. There had only been the three of them, Uly, Yale and his mother. Yale was great but he couldn't replace his mom. No one could. He knew that he would have to help the other Syndrome children, whether his mother was better or not. It would be a lot easier if his mother were there. Until this planet, he had always known that life was short, unfair. But it never occurred to him that his mother would die before him. It never even occurred to him that his mother would get sick. Syndrome children grow up with the knowledge of death, their deaths. Not their strong, healthy parents. His mother had always been strong for him, now he would be strong for his mother.

True walked up to her father. "Dad, guess what? Uly and I are going to research old files to help Julia find a cure for Devon!"

Danziger smiled at his daughter. "That's great, True-girl. I'm sure that Julia will be glad of the help. Just be sure that she doesn't tire herself out."

"I will Dad, I'll keep an eye on her"

"I know that I can count on you"

True ran off towards Uly. Danziger watched her go. She was growing up so fast, he thought. He also realized how much he asked of her. She had a lot of responsibility for a girl her age. He had to be careful not to put to many burdens on her. 

He had inherited Devon's job. He had to get the colony setup and ready for the Syndrome families. He wasn't sure he had the skills for that kind of job. Sure, any of the mechanical stuff but layout and planning was never his thing. Yet he welcomed the challenge. It would keep his mind off Devon. He hadn't felt so helpless since Ellie's accident. If it wasn't for True, he's not sure how he would have survived. In order to provide for his infant daughter and the support of Ellie, he had taken on a lot of extra work. That had taught him that by pushing himself he would be too tired to think. He didn't want to think. He and Devon's relationship was unsettled and he didn't like things unsettled. He was attracted to Devon, what red-blooded man wouldn't be. Not even a month ago, he and Devon had made love for the first time. With the advent of spring and leaving winter camp, they had been hard-pressed to find time to explore their relationship further. But had managed to steal away for brief interludes, never discussed the future; they took things one day at a time. He tried not to analyze their relationship, but often found himself doing so. He enjoyed their verbal spars and admired her intelligence and determination, even though it annoyed him to no end. Beyond that he wasn't willing to admit. The Elder had thought that he was in love with Devon; he tried pushing it off as romantic musing, even though he didn't think the Elder was the romantic kind. The sense of loss he now felt supported the Elder's claim but still he fought against acknowledging his feelings. Concentrate on True, concentrate on Uly, concentrate on reaching New Pacifica, concentrate on his fellow travelers. He often repeated the mantra hoping that he wouldn't have time to think of Devon. So far it hadn't worked. He still fought to keep her imagine from his mind. He was pushing the team he knew that. He thought that they, like him, welcomed the grueling pace. He also thought that in time, his leadership would come in question. He hoped that by then he would have proven his capabilities, to himself at least. He was a good mechanic; some even said a great mechanic. He was a good Ops chief, he treated people fairly. He wasn't a diplomat that wasn't a skill he needed much in the past since his technical qualifications often over rode any of his limitations. He had his work cut out for him. He just hoped he wouldn't let anyone down.

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END OF PART 1


	2. A possible cure

Westward Bound 2

**_Westward Bound (part 2) _**Setup: Takes place several weeks after part 1. On the road to New Pacifica. 

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Voice of Bess Martin "It's been 3 weeks since we left Devon behind. Each day I still fight with myself over my vote and wonder how many are also unsure that they did the right thing. It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make, leave Devon or abandon the colonist. That is not the way it was presented but still that is how I took it. I know that Devon would want us to put the colonist first but still they are strangers, she is my friend, someone I respect. 

So much as changed in the last few weeks. First Eben died, then we all nearly did, then Devon. The group is still not back to normal. When O'Neil died, we were all strangers, but that has changed. Eben was our friend, family. We held a memorial service at the time of her death but have done little else since then. As for Devon, since voting to leave her behind, we haven't really talked about her either. Both Devon and Eben are foremost in our minds and hearts but we keep it locked up inside. Whenever I tried to discuss it with Morgan, he gets so upset. He is afraid that what happened to them will happen to us. 

No one is the same, particularly Uly, Julia and John. As to be expected Uly grieves for his mother. He is trying to help Julia find a cure. The optimist hope he had when we first left Devon is starting to fade. Julia is working non-stop to find a cure. As soon as we settle for the night, she is back to running her test. She barely eats and doesn't sleep. During the day, Julia rides in one of the vehicles. No one, including Morgan, has complained that she isn't walking. We all know she is exhausted, and the catnaps she gets while riding are the only sleep she gets. As for John, he is quiet and solemn. He is a good leader, different from Devon but still good. Since the first few days, when the pace he set was grueling, he has returned to a calmer, if you can call 20 clicks calm, pace. He must be under a lot of stress but has remained reasonable calm (as calm as Danziger can be)."

"Danziger, you're not going to believe this" Walman stated over his gear.

"You've damaged the ATV", Danziger replied through clenched teeth.

"No, good news for a change. I've found a grendler's stash. "

"Wow, you ought to tell a person to sit down before you deliver news like that. Do you need the rover, or can the rail handle the stuff?"

"I think that the rail can handle it. But send Cameron and Mazatl with it"

"Will do"

The stash consisted of some much-needed clothes, food stores and medical supplies, including an older, but working diaglove. Julia was relieved to see the supplies. What she had was getting low and she didn't think that she would be able synthesize everything that was needed.

"So, is this from one of our pods?" Gomez asked.

"I don't think so. This glove and some of the supplies are a little older than what we would have brought with us. Must have been another council research team or penal colonist shipment" Cameron offered.

"In any case, it's nice to have something positive happen for a change." Denner stated.

"Hey Julia, Bess, can I speak with you both for a moment?" Danziger asked.

"Sure, what's up" relied Bess.

"Well, I was wondering if you were willing to be Julia's back up. You know, if she finds a possible cure for Devon and has to go back, we could use someone with us to get us by until she gets back. I'm not saying that you could replace Julia if something serious happened but the day-to-day stuff. I know that you've been helping her all along but now that there is a second glove we're in better shape. I have already spoken with Yale as well."

"I would love to help. Julia, let me know what you want me do. I will try not and interrupt the research you're doing for Devon."

"Julia, as I said, I don't think that Yale and Bess could replace you in the event of a serious problem. But for the minor stuff, they could take some of the load off. Of course, I realize that it's a lot of extra work to train them so if you rather not take that on right now, I understand"

"No, you're right it is extra work but if I do need to go back, then the group will be in better hands. Bess, why don't you ride with me today and I can go over some of the rudiments of the glove."

"Great." As Julia left, Bess turned to Danziger and said "Don't worry I won't let you down, and thanks."

  
"Thanks for what " 

"Giving me something useful to do. I've been feeling so bad that I can't help Devon out but now if I can take some of the load off Julia, then in a small way, I am helping Devon"

"Bess, you know I not real great with expressing myself. You've been a big help all along, especially with Uly. I should have said something sooner. "

"Don't worry about it John. You've been doing a great job with Uly, True, everything. I should have said something sooner."

"Well, seems like we've have a mutual admiration society going on. We better stop before Morgan gets wind of it and gets pissed. And I'm not taking a dig at Morgan" 

After setting up camp for the night, Danziger noticed again how tired Julia looked. He called to Julia and Bess again. "Hey Julia, I was wondering if maybe you could give me a sedative. I could use some sleep"

"Sure John. No problem" 

The three of them entered the med tent. Julia got the sedative and quickly returned.

"So, would you change the dose if you were giving it to someone say Bess's size as opposed to me? What about if you were giving it to one of the kids. Come on Bess, these are the questions you should be asking" Danziger listened as Julia explained the doses to Bess. 

When she was done, she handed the sedative to John. "Hope you get some rest tonight."

"Yeah, you too." With that, Danziger placed the sedative to Julia's neck and gave it to her. He caught her before she fell. He then laid her on the cot. "Thanks Bess. Don't worry, I'll let Julia know that you weren't in on this." "Don't you need a sedative still?"  
  
"No, I'll sleep just fine. It was just a ruse to get Julia to get some rest." As he left the med tent, he called Alonzo over. "Hey Ace, I need you to keep an eye on Julia and call me when she shows signs of waking"

"Why, what's wrong" Alonzo said in a concerned voice.

"I just gave her a sedative and I want a chance to hide before she kills me"

Alonzo started to laugh, "I don't know if you're very brave or very foolish. Probably both. But I do appreciate it. I've been worried that she was over doing it. Frankly, I didn't think to give her a sedative"

"Well, she probably won't fall for it again. So I hope she manages to get some rest and that nothing crops up that needs her attention." He headed towards the kids to get them ready for bed so that he could turn in himself. He had lied when he told Bess that he would sleep fine. He hadn't been sleeping well since Devon got sick but still he got more rest then Julia did. He just hoped that she wouldn't be to mad at him.

The next morning when she woke, Julia was furious at Danziger. As promised, he told Julia that Bess had nothing to do with it. He also told Julia that he had done it because he was concerned for her welfare and the welfare of the group. If their only doctor collapsed they were in big trouble. Julia calmed down a little but promised that she would get even one day. Danziger was sure she would.

For the next week, Julia instructed Bess and Yale in basic medical training. Yale had an extensive library at his disposal to aid in the training. Since both were eager to learn, the training went well. As she was working late into the night, Alonzo suddenly sitting up on the cot startled her. Concerned she rushed to his side and asked, "What wrong? Are you ok?"

After taking a deep breath, Alonzo replied "Whoa, that was some dream!"

"Was it a terrian dream?"

"I don't think so. It was a sex dream." At Julia's embarrassed look, he continued "No, no, not that kind. You weren't in it. Neither was I. I had a dream about Danziger and Devon doing it"

"What!" Julia exclaimed. "You'd better not let John know your having these dreams!"

"It was just the one dream". Alonzo and Julia soon drifted off to sleep. Once again Alonzo was woken by the dream about Danziger and Devon. Soon he was afraid to close his eyes. These people were his friends; he was uncomfortable seeing them in such as situation, even if it was only a dream. From the time spent on the planet, Alonzo knew that dreams meant something; you just needed to interpret them. To avoid going to sleep, and having the dream again, he decided to determine what the dream meant. Shortly after dawn, Julia woke up and Alonzo told her "I had the dream again and have been trying to figure out what it could mean. The only conclusion I've come to is the Devon and John should make love so that Devon can get better."

Upon hearing that, Julia laughed. "Alonzo, that is ridiculous. And even if it wasn't Devon is in no shape for anything strenuous." 

"Well, what else could it mean?"

"Don't know, maybe we should talk to John about it"

"Yeah, right. I thought you said last night that John better not find out"

"That was before I knew you'd have the dream again or come to the conclusion you did. I mean I am sure John would rather hear about the dream then to have you keep dreaming it."

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I'd rather not have the dream again myself. I felt like a peeping tom!"

The two quickly got dressed and left the tent. Luckily they found John up and about. Approaching him, Julia asked "John can we talk to you about something"  
  
"Sure, what?"  
  
Alonzo opened his mouth to speak when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Bess. "Not here, can we take a little walk". Seeing how uncomfortable his friend was, John agreed.

They walked a short distance and stopped. After a nudge from Julia, Alonzo began to speak "Uh, last night, I had a dream."

"A terrian dream? " Danziger interrupted.

"No, I don't think so. It was about you and Devon."

"You're dreaming about me and Devon? Why?"

" I don't know but maybe it is something to do with how to make Devon better."

"Alonzo!" Julia chided.

"Well, Julia isn't sure it will but it is the only way that I could interpret the dream"

"So tell me about the dream"

"Well, I dreamt that you and Devon made love"

Clearly embarrassed, Danziger asked, "So, what does that have to do with Devon getting better?" 

'Well, I thought that if you and Devon made love, it will make her well again. OK, I know it is a stretch, but why else would I be dreaming about that"

"There must be something else in the dream that you are over looking"

"Come on John, you and Devon are making love, what else could it be?"

"Tell me about the dream"

"You and Devon make love. That's it. Then I wake up."

"OK, so when does it occur, where does it occur? Back at the ship?"

"I don't know when it occurs but it's not at the ship. You're outside" "In a forest, in a cave, is there water near by, rocks, …"

  
"Rocks, you and Devon are making love on a large rock that almost looks like a throne"

Danziger started to pace and finally said "Devon got a thorn in her shoulder"

"You've had the dream too!" Alonzo exclaimed. When Danziger shook his head no, Alonzo asked "So how to you know she got something in her shoulder"

"Because we made love on a rock that looked like a throne and she got a thorn in her shoulder"

"What! " Julia and Alonzo shouted in unison. "You heard me. But why would you be dreaming that now, unless it's the thorn that made Devon sick and that bush is around here."

"When did this happen" Julia asked.

"A few days before we started getting sick. I completely forgot about the thorn. I took out the thorn but maybe there was a toxin. Alonzo, do you recall what the bush looked like"

"I really didn't notice the bush John"

"Do you think you can have the dream again and find out what the bush looked like" Julia asked.

Both Danziger and Alonzo looked uncomfortable. "I can try". With that Alonzo closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

"You know, you can't tell everybody about this to get back at me for the sedative. It wouldn't be fair to Devon"  
  
"John, I would never tell anybody. I may tease you in private about it, but never in front of anyone else. I can't believe that you and Devon took the risk"

"Risk, you mean of getting caught?"  
  
"No, of getting pregnant"

"Well, we didn't actually plan for anything to happen. But Devon thought it was a safe time."

"So, if Devon gets better, I guess I'll be starting you on suppressors"  
  
"No, I have suppressor kit that I've been using." At Julia's look of confusion, "It's not uncommon."

"Well, I should check this kit out, just to be sure that it is effective"

Suddenly Alonzo was awake. "I know what the bush looked like. John, do you recall what the thorn you took out of Devon's shoulder looked like?"  
  
"It was just a thorn. You know like the hundred other thorns that we've come across"

"So, when you took the thorn out, it only had one point?" At John's nod, Alonzo continued, "The thorn had two points, one was normal looking and the other was long and narrow. It must still be in Devon's shoulder"

"Do you think that you'll recognize the bush? If so, I can run test to determine if that is what caused Devon's illness and maybe come up with an antidote!" Julia was excited.

"Whoa Julia, don't get your hopes or anyone else's up just yet. Alonzo, can you describe the bush to everyone so that we can search for it"

When Alonzo replied that he could, they returned to camp. Danziger gathered everyone together and brought them up to date. "Last night, Alonzo had a dream that Devon got a thorn in her shoulder and came to me to confirm if it had happened."

"How could you confirm it?" Gomez asked.

"Because I was with her when it happened." 

"Where were you and what were you and Devon doing?" True asked.

"Er, uh, it happened right before we all got sick and as it what we were doing, well, we were participating in a form of communication"

Julia and Alonzo tried to hide their laughs. The remainder of the group laughed and Baines exclaimed, "They were arguing again!" More laughter followed until Danziger started to speak again. 

"Well, I could confirm the story. So Alonzo thinks that the bush must grow around here. Why else would he have the dream now? So Alonzo is going to describe the bush and then we are going to look for it. But, be careful, this may be what made Devon sick." After Alonzo described the bush, the group broke up into teams of two to explore the area in search of the bush. 

After a while, Denner exclaimed, "I think I've found it".

Everyone rushed to the bush and Alonzo confirmed it was the bush from his dream. Julia carefully removed a branch with thorns on it and took it into the med tent with instructions not to be disturbed. 

Morgan began to pace and then he addressed Danziger. "Why didn't you tell us about the bush and the thorn earlier?"

"I forgot"

"Are you sure it wasn't because you felt guilty" Morgan countered.

"What, why would I feel guilty. Wait a moment Morgan. I didn't push Devon into the bush."

"Oh yeah, how do we know that" Morgan demanded. Bess tried to quiet her husband.

"Morgan, I did not push Devon", Danziger temper had started to flare.

Alonzo heard the conversion, "Morgan, John did not push Devon into the bush. She brushed against on her own." Alonzo stopped and smiled at Danziger then continued, "I saw the whole thing in my dream. Devon brushed against the bush, John took the thorn out, but part of it was left behind. John even told Devon she should have Julia look at it but Devon just continued where they were before she got the thorn."

"Oh, back to giving Danziger a tongue lashing" Morgan stated.

Alonzo could not help it; he began to laugh "Exactly!"

John groaned, he remembered what had happened. Devon had run her tongue along his throat. Soon both had forgotten about the thorn.

Alonzo was still trying to contain his laughter. 

"Alonzo, what is your problem?" Morgan queried.

"Nothing, nothing. It was just an interesting choice of words." 

At Danziger's look of fury and Morgan and Bess's look of confusion, Alonzo decided he had better see if Uly needed anything. Uly and True were sitting on a crate right outside the med tent. 

"Hey kids, any news yet?" At a shake of their heads, Alonzo continued. "You know, this might not be what made your mother sick. "

"I know, but maybe it will help" Uly replied.

Just then Julia rushed from the med tent. Everyone ran over to her. Looking at Uly, Julia smiled "I think that I can help your mother!" Soon all of Eden Advance was cheering and hugging one another. Julia motioned everyone to be quite. "It appears that the toxin in the thorn causes the organs to begin to get sluggish, eventually leading to system shutdown. I have been able to formulate a anti-dote which should remove the toxin and hopefully restore Devon's health"

"Hopefully restore her health?" Bess queried.

"Well, the toxin will be removed, I just hope that there hasn't been any organ damage." 

"So, you may be able to stop the further damage but not undo the damage that has already been done." Danziger stated.

"Well, there is no evidence that any organ damage has occurred. I will know more once I can administer the anti-dote and run a check on her vitals."

"What happens if there is organ damage?" 

"We put her back in cold sleep until the colony ship and the supplies get here. I can stop the spread that is the most important thing. Without the antidote we wouldn't be able to cure Devon even with the colony's supplies"

"You propose going back to give Devon the anti-dote", at Julia's nod, Morgan continued, "Even if it won't completely cure her."

"We don't know that it won't cure her." Julia countered.

"You would leave us with out a doctor so that you can find out? Why not wait until the colony ship gets here. You can still apply the anti-dote then" Morgan countered.

"But maybe the anti-dote will be enough. If we wait, Devon could lose at least a year of her life, for nothing."

Danziger interrupted. "OK, let's vote. All in favor of Julia going back with the anti-dote now." Quickly many hands shot up. "Of Julia continuing on to New Pacifica with the group." A few hands slowly went up. 

"Looks like you're going back", Danziger told Julia. "Anyone want to volunteer to drive her back?" Alonzo quickly raised his hand. "OK, tomorrow morning, Julia and Alonzo will take the rail and go back to Devon. The rest of us will continue onto New Pacifica. "

The group dispersed. Danziger approached Julia and Alonzo. "Julia, what are the chances that the anti-dote will be enough?"

"They're good. "

"Is that the doctor speaking or her friend? Never mind, I really don't want to know. If only Devon got her shoulder looked at when it happened, if only…"

Julia interrupted him, "Don't beat yourself up over this. Even if I had seen the thorn, I probably would have run a basic scan that may not have caught the toxin. I am speaking as a doctor and a friend."

"Thanks Julia."

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END OF PART 2 OK -- so a little far fetched way of Devon getting sick. But if a host is needed in order to bring spring, then maybe a thorn can make you sick!


	3. A new discovery

Westward3

**_Westward Bound (part 3)_**

Setup: Takes place a week after part 2. On the road to New Pacifica. 

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Voice of Morgan Martin "It's been a week since Julia and Alonzo left to return to Devon. I must admit that the group is much happier since a cure for Devon has been discovered. Julia left a supply of the anti-dote with us in case someone else is misfortunate enough to stumbled upon the bush. She also instructed Yale on how to make additional anti-dote should the need arise. 

I'm happy that Devon may be back with us soon. I honestly do not look forward to the colony ship arriving and Devon not being there. I have serious doubt, which I keep to myself, that we can even have the colony up and ready for it's new inhabitants and I just as soon have Devon there to take the heat. I am concerned that Julia has left the team. Bess and Yale have only basic medical training and I for one would be much happier if we had a doctor on the road with us."

"John." After 6 weeks of being under Danziger's care, Uly had finally taken him up on his offer to call him John. "Do you think that my mom will get better?"

"Sure I do Uly. Julia is a great doctor. She has already found a cure for what is making your mother sick. At worst case, your mother will be sick and still need to wait for the colony ship. But Julia is confident that now that the cure is found, your mother will get better."

"How long do you think it will be before they get back here?"

"Well, it took us five weeks before Julia found a cure. But Julia and Alonzo should be able to make it back to the ship in about 3 weeks. Then Julia will want a week or so checking out your mother. Then it will be another 3 weeks for them to get back to the location that we started from. By that time it will have been seven weeks since we started moving so it will be a while before they join us."

"Can we wait for them?"  
  
"No Uly, we need to keep moving. Remember that your mother will get better but she might not be coming back with Julia and Alonzo. We need to get the colony started as soon as possible. Besides, if your mother is with Julia and Alonzo, she'll be mad that we waited."

"Yeah, you're right. I should just be glad that my mother is going to get better, and remember that she will be back with me. I can be patient, I guess."

"I know you can champ."

Danziger and Uly were interrupted from their conversation by Baines. Baines had taken the ATV to scout ahead. "Danz, you're not going to like this."

"What's wrong, are you OK?" concern for his friend had even over rode concern about one of his vehicles. 

"I'm fine but I've encountered a canyon. It's big and I haven't been able to find a path down."

"How far ahead are you?"

"About 5 clicks. This looks like a decent place to camp. There is a water fall and some vegetation near by."

"OK, wait for us there. We'll see you shortly"

"I can see some light reflecting off something near by. I'm going to check it out. It may be another pod"

"OK, keep in touch"

"Will do"

Danziger informed Yale of the problem. "I don't recall seeing a canyon on the maps"

"Neither do I" Yale replied. 

"Do you think we got off course somewhere along the line?"

"I don't believe so. We have been constantly heading westward, following the path best for the vehicles. The worst case is we might be a little farther north or south of our projections. In that case, the canyon can't be that big and we can just traverse along it until we can find away across or down"

"Or the maps are just wrong and we are screwed"

"Come on John, no need for pessimism. " the tutor reprimanded. 

A short while later, the group reached the canyon. Upon seeing how large it was, Danziger asked Yale, "Is now a good time for pessimism?"

With a laugh Yale replied, "Well, I can see how it would be hard not to be pessimistic."

"OK people, let's set up camp and then try to figure out what we're going to do about this thing"

"Do about this thing, what does he think we can do about this" Morgan whined.

His wife ignored him and started to set up for the night.

Just as they started setting up the camp, Baines returned. "Hey Danz, it's not a pod. It's an old ship. Looks like it crashed. Not sure if there is anything to salvage off it."

"How far is it?"

"About 2 clicks."

"We'll head over tomorrow and check it out. "

After camp had been set up and dinner was over; the group met around the fire to discuss the situation. "We'll need to scout to the north and the south to see if either direction has a way across." Yale noted.

"We'll have to scout one direction at a time, since we only have the ATV. That's going to slow us down" Danziger replied.

"But which direction to look into first" Morgan asked.

"Baines, did you see anything when you went to look at the ship?" Danziger questioned.

"Nope, right near the ship, it looked like it was narrowing a bit but then it widen again."

"Anyone have a preference or should we just flip a coin to decide the direction?" Danziger asked.

"Flip a coin, what does that mean? " Uly questioned.

"It's an old Earth custom. When you can't decide between two choices, you flip a coin to decide which one you should select. It's is completely arbitrary way to decide."

"I have a coin. Commander Broderick gave it to me. I'll go get it." Uly rushed to the tent to retrieve the coin. 

"Well, unless there are any objections, it looks like it is going to be a coin toss"

When Uly came back with the coin, True called 'heads' for North. Danziger flipped the coin into the air. "Well it looks like someone will be heading north. Anyone want to volunteer?"

Several hands shot up. "OK, there are too many hands for a coin toss or even paper, rock, scissors. So do you want to pull straws?" All agreed to it. Then the six volunteers, Walman, Baines, Cameron, Mazatl, Denner and Magus, each selected a straw. Cameron drew the short straw. "OK tomorrow Cameron will take the ATV and head north. If you don't see anything in 5 days head back and we'll try south."

The next morning, Cameron took the vehicle and headed north. Danziger, Walman, Baines and Magus headed towards the ship that Baines had discovered the previous day.

"Wow, this thing is old. Even older then Bennett's ship" Walman offered. 

"Well let's see if there is anything worth taking from it." Danziger suggested. 

After some effort, the group managed to get into the cockpit. Upon entering, they found 3 bodies. "Guess this was the crew" Baines offered. 

"Magus, ask Yale to send Zero over here. We need him to dig some graves." As Baines had suggested the previous day, there wasn't anything to salvage. 

"How big would you say the gap is?" Danziger asked.

"Little under a 1/4 mile." Offered Walman.

"Do you think that there is enough metal to build a bridge strong enough for the transrover?"

"Danziger, you are not serious, you want to build a bridge!" Walman exclaimed.

"Well, unless Cameron finds something close, we are here for 2 weeks minimal. Longer unless there is something near by to the south. We may as well do something useful with the time."

"Hey, it's worth a shot. But how will we know it the metal is strong enough or even how to design the thing. None of us are architects" Magus stated.

The group was quiet for a moment. All remembered that they had an architect on the team, a good one, but that they had to leave her behind. "Zero could probably do an analyze on the metal and Yale could probably dig up a design for the bridge." Danziger suggested.

Magus and Walman started to warm to the idea. "It would be good to build something again," Walman stated. 

"OK, lets go back to camp and see what the others have to say."

Danziger presented the proposal to the group over lunch. The Ops Crew was over whelming in favor of the project. Since some of the other colonist thought it would be worth a try, the bridge was on. It was agreed that if a path down or around was found, the bridge project would be suspended. They decided to call the bridge "The Eden Advance Bridge", this way it was named for all of them.

After lunch, everyone headed over to the ship. Zero had removed the three bodies and placed them in their graves. Yale said a quick blessing for the lost men. Once the short service was over, the task of analyzing the ship began. After much discussion, it was decided that the bridge would be built near the wreckage for two reasons. One reason was that way they wouldn't need to send a lot of time transporting the material. The second reason was it was the narrowest path of the canyon that they had encountered thus far. The initial report from Zero was that the metal was strong enough to support the weight of the rover. Yale began to search his records for a bridge that would meet the needs of supporting the transrover and would work with the material that they had. 

The group returned to the camp for dinner. When dinner was over, Yale presented everyone with several choices for the bridge design. Some were rejected right away as being too difficult. Finally, after much hemming and hawing, it was down to three choices that the Ops Crew felt could be built with the material and equipment available to them, in a reasonable amount of time. Bess, supported by Gomez, argued for the most decorative of the three choices since it was the first structure built for the new colony. When put to a vote, the decorative design won. 

Danziger suggested that everyone turn in for the night since they would need to get started on the bridge right away. The day, which had started off with much despair due to the canyon, had ended on a high note. Everyone felt an immediate purpose. Until that point, the purpose each day had been more or less to get closer to New Pacifica so that they could begin to build something. Now they would actually be building something. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

END OF PART 3


	4. Devon's cure?

Westward4

**_Westward Bound (part 4)_**

Setup: Takes place just over 2 weeks after part 2. On the road back to Devon. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Voice of Alonzo "It's been more then 2 weeks since Julia and I left the group to return to Devon. We are making great time; we should be back to the ship in a day or so.Julia spirits are higher then I have seen them in a long time. I am concerned that she is setting herself up for disappointment. What if there is organ damage or the anti-dote doesn't work. I am not sure that Julia would be able to handle it.I'm not sure any one of us will be able to handle it."

"Want me to drive for a while?" Julia offered.

"Naw, I'm fine. You rest some more." 

"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't hear you complaining last night." Alonzo countered.

"Oh, I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. Do you think that we'll make it to the ship tonight?"

"Probably not, but maybe tomorrow, if not, then definitely the day after."

"What if grendlers got into the ship, or penal colonist, or …"

"Julia that ship has been there for years. No one has gotten into it, nothing has happened to it. So please stop worrying" 

"I'll try. I wonder how the others are? I have enjoyed our time alone together but I do miss the others." Julia stated.

"I know what you mean. I haven't spent this much time with anyone in a long time.I haven't had a chance to get close to anyone in a lot of years. I was always sleep jumping. When I got back into a port, everyone had moved on with their lives, I really hadn't."

"Do you regret making this trip?" Julia questioned.

"No. There are parts of the trip I regret but overall I am glad I came." Alonzo replied honestly. "What about you?"

"Like you, there are some things I regret. Actually there are a lot of things I regret. But I've gained a lot here. Things that I could never achieved back on the stations."

"So it looks like G889 has been good for both of us." Alonzo stated.

"Yes, it does."

Their conversation shifted to other things and soon they set up camp for the night. Julia had insisted that they get an early start the next morning. She wanted to reach the ship as soon as possible. They were on the road shortly after sun up.As they had been doing since they left the group, they took breaks only long enough for rest and the recharging of the rail. By night fall, they had managed to reach the ship.

"See, I told you it would be fine." Alonzo taunted.

"Can we go inside tonight?" Julia asked.

"Don't see why not, but I would suggest we just check on Devon tonight. You should wait until you are rested before you try to bring her around." 

"OK," Julia agreed.

The two entered the ship. Alonzo immediately brought up some additional light as Julia checked Devon's vitals. "Everything checks out fine." Julia stated.

"Good, let's set up for the night. Then we can make sure everything is ready for tomorrow." 

Julia rose early the next morning. "Alonzo, are you ready?" 

"As ready as I'll ever be. Please remember, no matter what happens, you did your best. That is all Devon ever asked anyone to do."

  
"Thanks, I try and remember that."

Once inside the ship, Julia prepared the anti-dote as Alonzo started to bring Devon out of cold sleep. When the chamber doors opened, Alonzo caught Devon and laid her on the table.Julia quickly applied the anti-dote. 

"How long till we know if it's working" questioned Alonzo.

"I'm not sure. Her vitals are stable. That's encouraging." Julia replied as she ran her glove over Devon.

"How will you know if there is any organ damage?"

"My glove should be able to determine if there is any damage. Right now her body is still trying to get rid of the toxin." For the next few hours, Julia monitored Devon's vital signs.She was very encouraged to see that they were slowly but steadily improving. Four hours after applying the anti-dote, Devon began to regain consciousness.

"Julia, what are you still doing here?" a weak Devon Adair asked. Noticing Alonzo but no one else, Devon asked, "Where is everybody, how long have I been unconscious?"

"Well, you been unconscious for 9 weeks or so. As to where everyone is, they're on the road to New Pacifica." Alonzo supplied the information with a huge grin on his face.

"How's Uly? What are you doing here? How…"

"Devon slow down," Julia admonished. "Uly was fine when we last saw him. John and True are doing a great job of taking care of him. Of course Yale is lending a hand as well.As to what we are doing here, about 3 weeks ago we discovered what was wrong with you so we came back to cure you."

"So what was wrong? When will we rejoin the others?" Devon questioned. 

Julia could tell that Devon was very weak. "Sleep now, regain your strength. Then we'll tell you everything."

Devon tried to protest but she was much too tired. Soon she drifted off to sleep. Alonzo came over to Julia and wrapped his arms around her. "So, she's going to be alright?"

"Yes, it looks like there is no organ damage. She is weak due to the toxin but that should subside in a day or two. She is so much better that I had hoped she'd be." The joy and relief were evident in Julia's voice and smile. "I just wish we could let the others know."

"Yeah, but we are to far away. They'll know soon enough. Why don't you take a rest while Devon sleeps? I know that once she is awake that you won't rest. Don't worry, I keep an eye on her for you"

Julia reluctantly agreed. "If she show signs of waking up or if any of anything happens, you come get me."

Alonzo promised. For the next day, Julia and Alonzo took turns watching over Devon. She was slowly regaining her strength. Finally she was allowed to sit up.   
"So, what was wrong with me?" Devon asked.

"You were poisoned by a thorn." Julia stated.

"A thorn?" At first Devon was confused, then her face slowly began to get pink. "Um, how did you figure it was a thorn?"

"I had a dream," Alonzo stated.

The pinks in Devon's cheeks deepened. "Please tell me that the terrians told you," Devon pleaded.

"Sorry, I saw how it happened" Alonzo's cheeks had also begun to get a little pink. Devon let out a groan and dropped her head into her hands.

"Don't worry no one else knows. When I told Danziger about the dream," another small groan escaped from Devon's lips. Alonzo continued, "He figured out that the bush that you got stuck with must be close by. Danz told everyone, how did he put it? Oh yeah, you were participating in a form of communication. I just loved that. Of course, everyone else took it to mean that we were arguing when it happened. You secret is safe with us. I just can't believe that we didn't know anything was going on." Alonzo paused, then continued. "So how long has it been going on?"

"John didn't tell you?" Devon asked.

"Well, we actually didn't have a chance to talk about it. One we knew about the thorn and Julia found the anti-dote, we were pretty busy preparing to leave."

"I can't believe that you came back for me and left the rest without a doctor. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, because I'm not. It's just hard to believe."

"Well, we took a vote. Seems that everyone wants you back with us as soon as possible. " Julia replied. She then proceeded to fill in Devon on what happened since she had fallen ill. 

Alonzo interrupted Julia, "So Devon, you never answered my question. How long have you and John been together?"

"Why don't you ask John when we rejoin the others."  
  


Alonzo mumbled,"I knew you were going to say that."

Devon ignored Alonzo. "So how soon till we leave? How soon to we meet up with the others?

"Well, I would like you to rest for a week or so," Julia stated.

"A week!" Devon exclaimed. "I'm fine. I can be ready to leave tomorrow." When Julia went to interrupt, Devon stopped her. "I know that you are concerned that I'm not strong enough but I tell you I feel fine. The best medicine for me would be to see my son."

Devon and Julia compromised, both grudgingly, that in 3 days they would leave to join the others. And only under the condition that Devon continued to improve and her vitals were strong before they left.

Julia warned Alonzo, "Do not torment Devon about her relationship with John." After receiving Alonzo reluctant acceptance, Julia continued. "They will be enough time for that when Devon is fully recovered.But promise me that you won't do it in front of the others."

"Don't worry I won't. I'm really happy the two of them are together. I think that they'll make a good couple. I also realize that there are some in the group that might not be happy to hear that they're a couple. Not that they don't want them to be happy, just that they will think that they've lost a second opinion. "

"I honestly can't see either one or them giving in to the other."

"Yeah, they're going to have an interesting relationship. I just hope that the group doesn't ruin it for them. You know, I honestly can't remember seeing a change in Devon and John relationship. Sure when we all got sick everyone was concerned about everyone else but I don't recall them treating each other any differently."

"That just supports your theory that even if they are a couple, John is always going to voice his opinion. And Devon will always voice hers."

"Boy, am I going to enjoy hassling Danziger." Alonzo stated with a wicked grin.

"Just remember that punch he gave you in the spider caves. " Julia paused for a moment. "You don't think they were together then, do you"

"Naw, I don't think so. Or else John would have hit me harder", Alonzo rubbed his jaw. "Maybe I'll go a little easy with teasing him."

Devon continued to gain strength over the next three days. The trio packed up their belongings and secured the ship.After one last look around, they started their journey to rejoin their friends.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

END OF PART 4


	5. Beyond the bridge

Westward4

**_Westward Bound (part 5) _**Setup: Takes place several weeks after part 4. On the road to New Pacifica.  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Voice of Yale "It's been 7 weeks since we've started the bridge. We are done now and pleased with our achievement. The ingenuity, skill and dedication of this group of people never cease to amaze me. At short distance from the ship's wreckage, Morgan discovered an underground lava flow, which has been instrumental in aiding in the bridge's construction.Upon Cameron's return from scouting the north, Morgan had volunteered to scout the south. The group was, to say the least, surprised.But by that time, we had been building the bridge for two weeks and Morgan had pointed out that he was the least skilled in building bridge. Obviously, the Ops Crew, with their background in building stations, was well suited in building the bridge. Even the colonists, those that had planned to take up residency, had under gone rudimentary training. Although not as skilled as the Ops Crew, the colonist knew that they would all need to expand the skills they received in training in order to build, then maintain the colony. Morgan was quick to point out, that as a government liaison, he never received even rudimentary training so he had the least to offer the bridge. Bess was sad to see her husband go, but very proud. 

When Morgan returned two weeks later, he was surprised at how far the construction had progressed.All remains of the ship were gone. Most had been melted in the lava flow and reshaped for use in the bridge. Some had been used to make repairs and spare parts. The remainder, which no one could find a use for, was burned as to not leave litter behind.

Bess had taken upon her self to beautify the area of the first construction. She started by enlisting the children's aid in planting small trees and bushes in the area.She had also made markers for the crash site, as well as one for the bridge. Both markers were made of metal remnants that were identified as too weak for the bridge. She had enlisted Morgan's help to set up the marker at the crash site.The marker identified the site as the location of the Jupiter class ship crash. It also indicated the 3 unknown crewmembers and stated that Eden Advance had used the ship in construction of the bridge.   
  


Fortunately the area was abundant in nuts and berries. Food and water have not been a problem. We also discovered a plant that produced grain.Bess and Gomez were able to grind the grain and make a tortilla like bread. We are taking some grain and seeds with us on our journey to New Pacifica. Bess and I took turns at the bridge site and watching the children. Luckily, no serious injuries were suffered during the construction. Every night the group would return and eat the meal that was prepared. They would turn in early and be up with the sun the next morning. I was amazed at how long and hard everyone had worked. Bess had documented some of the construction for historical purpose. John and some of the others teased her about it, but as she pointed out often, this was the first construction for the colony, even though it wasn't at the colony's location.

Now, weeks later, the bridge has received its finishing touches.We moved on yesterday, leaving the marker simply stating the start and end dates of the bridge, along with the words "Eden Advance was here". I know that others, besides Uly and I, had hoped the Devon, Alonzo and Julia would have returned by now. I am confident that they, all three of them, will join us soon. I also look forward to telling Devon about the bridge and it's construction. It brings me optimism for the construction of the colony. I have been very impressed with John Danziger since the start of our adventure on this planet. He skills have proven invaluable time and again. Although I will admit that sometimes his hot-headedness has caused problems. With the construction of the bridge, I now understand how he achieved such as good reputation as Ops chief.He has been very inventive, fair and patient. I now also understand why sometimes the Ops Crew backs John when he and Devon disagree on a subject. He is their boss, yet he is still one of them. He will be a great asset to the colony. I hope that True and John stay when the colony ship leaves. The colony needs them, Uly needs them and Devon needs them."

"Looks like the sun is bouncing off of something metal up ahead" Alonzo stated.

Devon grabbed the jumpers and carefully stood to have a look. "It is a bridge!" she exclaimed.Julia and Alonzo shared Devon's excitement.

Alonzo headed towards the structure as Devon panned around looking for additional signs of settlement.She noticed 3 grave markers. "Oh no, bear right. I see something up ahead." She tried to keep the concern out of her voice but her companions could tell she was upset.

The dune rail pulled up near the grave markers. The occupants slowly exited the vehicle and Julia walked over to the large marker. "Its not anyone from our group" she stated with much relief, then continue "Looks like there was a crash here. These graves belong to the crew of the 'Star Quest'. No information regarding the nature of the voyage.But that beautiful structure in front of you is the 'Eden Advance Bridge'!"

"What? Our group built this? When, how?" Devon asked.

"One way to find out, let's take a look at that bridge" Alonzo suggested with a grin. After reading the marker on the bridge Alonzo stated "Looks like they are only a day or two ahead of us. We could catch up with them by mid day tomorrow if we push it. All it favor of pushing it?" All three shot up their hands.

Early the next morning, the dune rail was able to make gear contact with the rest of the group. Devon spoke briefly with Uly and Yale and was able to assure them that she was well and eager to see them again. The larger group stopped and prepared for a celebratory lunch. There was a sense of joy that surpassed even the joy felt at the completion of the bridge. The group would be whole again. True and Uly, for once did not make any comments about gathering fire wood or doing their chores. True was glad that the others would be joining them. She was also a little sad at the thought that Uly would be returning to his own tent. At first she was a little resentful of sharing her father with the younger boy. She had her father to herself for her whole life. Even on this planet, where privacy was at a premium, she and her father had time to themselves. At night, in their tent, she would have her father's undivided, or mostly undivided, attention. It had taken some time to adjust. She now got one arm hugs and shared the limelight of the tent but she didn't mind Uly as much as she thought she would. This was like what it was like to have a brother, not that she would admit that to Uly. 

The subject of her thoughts interrupted her. "True, I want to thank you for sharing your dad with me. I also want to let you know that if ever you want, you can share my mom."

"Thanks Uly, but I don't think that I will be needing a mother. I am almost 11 you know." True replied in a somewhat superior voice. Then she asked, "How does a mother compare to a father". Both children had only ever known one parent. 

"Well, your dad is great but not quite the same as my mom. " True nodded her understanding and Uly continued. "But there are a lot of similarities between the two. Both are bossy, both never let you do what you want; both will take care of your no matter what. Trust me True, you may one day want to take me up on the offer of sharing my mom."

"I'll keep it in mind. Do you think that your mom's going to take over control right away?"

"No reason why she shouldn't if she is all better. Do you think that your dad will have a problem with that?"

"Naw, well at least no more problems with your mom being in charge now then before her illness. My dad has always had a problem with bosses."

"You know True, when your dad is on scout or guard duty, you can stay with my mom and me in our tent if you want." Uly had also grown accustomed to having True around and didn't want to lose that closeness. "I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, like I said before, I'll keep it in mind. Come on, we better get back with this firewood." Then casting a look behind her at Uly, she shouted, "Race you!"

Uly arrived back at camp just behind True. Glancing around he noticed John setting up the mess tent and decided that he should go thank the man for taking care of him. Wandering over to the mechanic, Uly stopped and solemnly held out his hand and stated "John, I would like to thank you for all you've done for me. "

The big man took the small boy's outstretch hand, and in a solemn voice replied, "No problem, that's what friends are for. You know if ever you need me or just want to talk, I'll always be there for you. "

"Thanks, and if there is ever anything I can do for you, just ask." Suddenly Uly threw his arms around John and embraced him in a large hug which was returned. Ruffling the boy's hair.

"Come on, give me a hand with this tent. We don't want your mom to get here and this place to be in chaos. I'll never hear the end of it. As it is, she'll probably give me grief for not being further ahead then we already are."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her" Uly promised. 

Just then Cameron shouted, "I think they're coming!"

At sight of the dune rail, many began to wave their arms franticly to greet their missing friends.Soon the dune rail was in camp and enveloped by everyone. Hugs were exchanged and more then one tear had to be wiped away. Finally the trio were allowed to take a seat in the center of camp. Devon had Uly on her lap with her arms wrapped around him while Yale sat close by with his arm around her shoulders. Danziger, who had greeted Devon in the same manner as Alonzo and Julia, addressed Devon, "Dev, you like tried. Are you completely well?"

"Yes! I'm as good as new," Devon enthusiastically stated.

Julia interjected "Well, I wouldn't go that far. While the toxin has been neutralized and there has been no organ damage, Devon has not completely regained her strength." When Devon looked like she was going to deny the statement, Julia continued, "The trip has taken more out of her then she is willing to admit.So for the time being, Devon is to take it easy. Ride for most of the day, no guard duty and minimal stress." As she delivered the last line, she shot Danziger a warning look.

Danziger managed a hurt look. "Stress? When have I ever caused anyone any stress?" This elicited a laugh from everyone.Then to Julia, Danziger asked, "So how long do we camp here, the night, a couple of days?"

"A couple of days! Why would we camp here for a couple of days?" Devon asked.

"Oh, I don't know, I vaguely remember hearing something about taking it easy, minimal stress.Besides I need to check out the dune rail and I just need to know how long I am going to have to do it."

Before Devon could answer, Julia stated, "I think that we should rest here for the remainder of today and tomorrow. There is plenty of water near by. This will give me a chance to see how everyone is doing. And give Devon a chance to regain some strength." Devon conceded. 

"So now that we have that settled, what's for lunch? I am starved!" Alonzo stated.

Lunch was a very jovial affair. Stories about the trip to and from Elizabeth's ship and the building of the bridge were exchanged. Finally Julia persuaded Devon that she should take a rest.Uly and True had already set up the tent. As Devon moved towards the tent, she quietly asked Danziger if he could stop by so that she could talk about Uly.

When Danziger entered the tent, Devon was sitting on her cot admiring the drawings that Uly had made for her. "So did they tell you how you got sick?" Danziger asked.

"Yes, does anyone else know about it?" 

"I don't think so.Julia and Alonzo left right after we figured out.So how impossible were they?"

"Not too bad. I think that they are waiting for me to regain some strength. So, how do you like running the group? "

"Wasn't too bad. For a good portion of the time that you were gone, we worked on the bridge. So it was very similar to jobs on the stations. You know, that is some kid you got there. You should be proud at how well he did."

Devon beamed, "Uly seems to have handled the separation between the two of us better then I did. Not that I didn't think that he would be well cared for but.. "

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I think that True deals with us being separated much better then I do."

"John, thanks for taking such great care of Uly." 

"Don't worry about it. You never know when I'll need to have you watch out for my kid. So how do you really feel? And don't lie to me."  
  
"Honestly, I am a little tired but otherwise I feel fine. I actually feel better then before I collapsed. Although I guess that is not hard to believe, especially since I was slowly being poisoned. You know it never occurred to me that my illness was any different then the rest of yours. I had completely forgotten about the thorn until Julia mentioned it."

"So did I. I feel rotten about it. If only I had insisted that you see Julia then or when we got back to camp, none of this would have happened."

"John, this is not your fault. Besides how would we have explained to Julia?"  
  
"We could have just told her that you brushed up against a bush. I don't think that Julia would have thought that I pushed you into it."

"Someone thought you pushed me?" At Danziger's nod, she continued, "Who would... it was Morgan wasn't it?" Again Danziger nodded. 

The two had remained on separate sides of the tent as they had their conversation. Devon got off the cot and slowly walked to Danziger."So did you miss me?" she asked.

"Well I have to admit, it took a while to get use to the quiet." Before Devon could respond, Danziger reduced the remaining distance between them. "There might have been one or two things that I missed." 

"Such as?"Devon slowly raised her hands to his shoulders. Danziger wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. They were still kissing when Uly and True entered the tent with some flowers.The adults broke apart.

"Hi kids" Danziger stated. "Hi Dad. So Devon, I am glad to see that you are feeling better. We picked these for you." True gave Devon the flowers. "Come on Uly, I think that they were in the middle of something. Don't worry, we won't mention this to anyone." True grabbed Uly and rushed him from the tent.

"Hey, what's the rush? Don't you want to know what's happening?"

"Isn't it obvious. Didn't you ever hear the old saying that 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?While your mom was sick, they realized how much they really like each other."

"It was just a kiss."

"It was like a kiss that Julia and Alonzo would have. Or Bess and Morgan. Not like a kiss friends would have. Don't you get it? They could fall in love and then you and I could have both a mother and a father."

"Really? I thought that you didn't need a mother?"

"I don't but it might be nice to have a woman around to talk about things. Besides, my dad deserves to be happy. Don't you want your mom to be happy like the Martins and Julia and Alonzo?"

"Sure, I would. It would be great if your dad and my mom fell in love. So how can be help?"

"I don't know, I have never tried to get two people to fall in love before."  
  
"We could ask Yale. Or maybe Bess, I am sure she would know what to do."

"No! We can't ask Bess. Sure, she would know what to do but she would but in. And I know that would surely send my father in the opposite direction."

"How about Yale?"

"I'm not sure. Let me think about it for a while. Let's not mention it to anyone just yet." Uly agreed.

Later that evening, Devon asked Uly, "Uly do have any questions about what you and True saw this afternoon?"

"Well, do you like John or was it only a kiss to thank him for taking care of me?"  
  
"I like him. Is that OK with you?"

"Yes, I like John and True a lot. Do you think that you and John will get married?"  
  
"Married? I don't know about getting married. But we like each other and we like to spend time together. Would you mind that?"

"I don't think so. Do you only want to spend time with him alone or with me, True and John?"

"Both. Sometimes I would like to spend time alone with just John. But other times I would like to spend time with the three of you. I will also want to spend some time with just you."  
  
"How about with just True?"

"Sure, I would like to spend time with just True. I'm not sure how much she would like it."  
  
"Well, she said it might be nice to sometimes have a woman to talk to things about. So I don't think that you would mind spending time with just you. I know that I will probably want to spend some time with just John. You know guy stuff."

"OK, but I don't want you or True to think that just because I kissed John that we are going to be one big happy family. I honestly don't know what is going to happen, maybe we will, and maybe we won't. I just don't want you kids to get hurt."

"Don't worry Mom. It's not like we are going to try and make you two fall in love or anything". Uly reasoned with himself that since he had his fingers crossed behind his back it wasn't a big lie, just a small one. 

A similar conversation was going on in the Danziger's tent.

"Don't worry Dad, Uly and I won't tell anyone we saw you two kissing. If you want to spend some time alone, maybe we could run interference for you." True offered.

"Thanks sweetheart. Are you sure it's ok with you?"  
  
"Yeah Dad, I'm sure. You know I like Devon. She's a lot nicer then some of the other women you've dated.Not that they were ever mean to me but they always just saw me as your daughter and never tried to get to know me. Devon already knows me, maybe it's because she wants to know whom her son is playing with but she has always treated me fairly. We have a friendship that is separate from yours and hers. If things don't work out between the two of you, Devon and I will still be friends."

Even though she made it out as a statement, Danziger knew his daughter wanted his confirmation. "Yes, no matter what happens between Devon and me, you and Devon will always have your relationship, just like Uly and I will always have ours. "

"So how long are you two going to keep it a secret?"

"I don't know True. I'm not sure what's going to happen between Devon and me. You know that we are still going to argue. Maybe what we have together won't be strong enough to overcome that. In that case, I'd just as soon not have the whole group know about us. You know whenever Devon and I have an argument of any kind some of them will be in there trying to patch things up between us. "

"Yeah, you're right. But just because you argue doesn't mean that you two are going to break up."

"Not every argument means a break up. But I can't promise you a fairy tale ending."  
  
"Don't worry Dad, I am not dreaming of a happy ever after. I want you to be happy and I think Devon could make you happy. I just wanted to point out to you that couples have arguments. You and Devon will just need to figure out how to work through them. If things don't work out then fine but I just hope that you both give it a chance."

"Wow, when did you get so smart? How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"I am a great observer. You know the Martins have had their problems and Julia and Alonzo had theirs. They also work through them. Just give yourself a chance to be happy."

Hugging his daughter tightly, Danziger asked, "What did I do to deserve such a wonderful child?"

"Probably not enough but you still have time to rectify that" was the smart-alecky response. 

The next morning as Danziger was working on the dune rail Devon approached him. "So how did things go last night?"

"OK, True wants me to be happy and she thinks that you might be able to do that. She also wanted some reassurance that no matter what happens to us,you and her will still be friends. How about Uly."

"Similar. He wanted to know if you and I would always want to be alone or include the kids. I'm glad that the kids are taking this OK but I am a little concerned that maybe they are reading more into this then there is."  
  
"What is there?" Danziger asked.

"A beginning, a promising beginning to something that could be wonderful.I just don't know where it will lead. We have agreed to take this one day at a time but can we still do that now that the kids are involved to."  
  
"What else can we do? Neither one of us can predict the future. Do we give up now because things may not work out later."  
  
"No!"

"So we continue to take things one day at a time. As True pointed out to me, we have to figure out how to work through any problems and give ourselves a chance a being happy."  
  
"Wow, she is very smart. She must get that from her mother." Devon replied with a laugh.

"Oh sure, sling insults when I'm under doctor's orders to not cause you stress. Never took you as a dirty fighter Adair."

"OK, OK, no more insults until Julia gives you the go ahead to cause me stress again. Just wait until I am back to full strength."

"I can hardly wait"

Bess was walking nearby with Magus. Neither could make out the whole conversation. "I don't believe this! She nearly dies, they are separated for months, they finally get back together and nothing!"

"What did you expect? A vow of undying love, a wedding, what? Come on Danziger didn't seem like a man pining away for a woman while Devon was gone. Face it Bess, Devon and Danziger aren't exactly the ideal couple."

"Don't you want them to get together?" Bess asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. It's not that I have secret desires on Danziger. He is a great guy and deserves to be happy just like Devon is a great woman that deserves to be happy. I am just concerned that if the two of them were to become a couple, then we no longer have two strong leaders with opposing views. That one of them or both of them will hold back on what is best for the group in favor of what is best for them. I know that neither one is selfish or weak willed but I'm still concerned."

"Haven't thought about it like that. I just figured they would continue to come to blows but they would just have more fun making up. OK, you don't have to be in favor of them getting together but I am still going to see if I can help Cupid with those two."

"OK, I won't interfere. Good luck, you're going to need it. Because if they haven't gotten together by now, I don't see it happening."

"Maybe they are aware of people's concerns and are waiting until we get to New Pacifica to get together." 

"Maybe but I've known Danziger for a while, he isn't the patient kind. If he wanted to be with her, he would be." 

"Maybe Devon is holding back?"

"Like I said, Danziger isn't patient, I think that he would try to persuade her. That actually might be something worth seeing." Magus replied with a laugh.

Just then, one half the subject of their discussion wandered over. "How are you both doing?" Devon asked.

"Great, how about you?" Bess replied.

"Fine, thanks. So Bess, I'm told that you have become Julia's assistant. That is great news. I am so happy that Julia will have some help and I also want to thank you for taking on the task."

Bess beamed. "No problem, I am glad to help. I am just very glad that no one got seriously hurt during the bridge."

"That was quiet an accomplishment. Magus, I hear that you were a major reason that bridge was completed in such a timely manner. I also want to thank you for that."

"Hey just doing my job."

"No, you weren't. Your job was to deliver our supplies and us to New Pacifica. Building a bridge was not part of the job. I really appreciate it."

"Well, like Bess said, no problem. You know it was Danziger's idea and he was really the driving force behind the bridge." Magus stated as Bess nodded her head in agreement.

"I get around to thanking him later. Probably after he stops annoying me so it will be a while." All three women laughed and then Devon left to speak with Julia.

"You know, the longer I am around Devon, the more I like her. Which is really surprising, she is rich, she is intelligent, she beautiful. She is exactly what I wouldn't expect to like. But she isn't what I would imagine someone in her position to be. She works just as hard as everyone does, she seems to really appreciate what people do to help out."

"Yeah, I like Devon too. Is that why you decided to help me with my Cupid scheme?"

"I wasn't helping with the Cupid scheme. I just don't like to take credit for someone else's ideas or effort."

That day passed quietly. Devon had made sure that she spoke with everyone and thanked them for their efforts. She had already thanked Alonzo and Julia so often for their help in bringing her back to the group that Alonzo would see her coming and just say 'Your welcome'.

The next day, shortly after sunrise, the group resumed their trip westward to New Pacifica. Once again a united force. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++END OF PART 5


End file.
